01What Is the DHS DeepSeek Ban?

The DHS DeepSeek ban is a U.S. government order that forces every federal civilian agency to remove DeepSeek AI from their computers. It also covers any product made by DeepSeek's affiliates or built using DeepSeek technology. The ban was signed by Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin in July 2026 but stayed secret for months.

The public only found out about it on Monday, October 19, 2026.

The order uses the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018. This law lets the government declare a product risky, stop buying it, and remove it from systems. The ban targets data security risks.

Three main worries are: DeepSeek's servers are in China, the app collects personal information and may track users, and the software could contain malware or security flaws. A February 2025 audit found multiple critical flaws in DeepSeek's iPhone app.

02Main Features of the Ban and DeepSeek's New Model

The ban has three big features that make it different from earlier bans:

  • Size: It covers every civilian agency at once, not just one department or state.
  • Reach: It goes beyond the DeepSeek app itself. Any third-party product or service built with DeepSeek technology is also banned.
  • Shopping block: Agencies cannot buy DeepSeek products through any channel, including online marketplaces and approved vendor lists.

Three days before the ban became public, DeepSeek released a new model on October 17, 2026. DeepSeek's own tests show it beats Claude Opus 5 on Deep SWE (77 to 74), Automation Bench (60.5 to 50.3), Agents Last Exam (35.4 to 28.6), and Apex Bench (72.1 to 65.8). However, Opus 5 still wins on Terminal Bench, Program Bench NL2, Repo Bench, and Humanities Last Exam.

These numbers come from DeepSeek, not an independent source.

03How to Get Ready for the DHS DeepSeek Ban

If you run a business that uses AI tools, you should prepare for a world where buyers ask what model is inside your software. Here are the steps:

  1. Inventory your AI tools. List every AI tool or agent your business uses, including writing aids, chatbots, and automation.
  2. Find out which model runs inside each tool. Check the tool's documentation or ask the vendor directly. Ask: "What base model does this tool use?"
  3. Identify any tool that uses DeepSeek. If a tool runs on DeepSeek, decide whether to replace it or prepare a backup.
  4. Set up a multi-model system. Use a dashboard that lets you see and swap models for each agent. This way, if a model gets banned or becomes expensive, you can switch in one place.
  5. Test replacement models now. Before you need them, try alternatives like Claude, GPT, Gemini, or newer models like Minimax M3.1 Flash.
  6. Document your model choices. Write down which models each tool uses and how to change them. Share this with your team.

04Using Multi-Model Agents After the Ban

In this episode, Julian Goldie shows how to use an agent operating system that keeps all your AI agents in one dashboard. You plug in each agent and pick which model it runs on—Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, or others. If a model gets banned or a better one appears, you swap it in one place.

Your work keeps running without rebuilding anything.

The system includes tools for video, SEO agents, and AI avatars. You get a zip file, video tutorial, a 30-day rollout setup, and daily updates. There are also four weekly coaching calls where you can ask live about your model setup.

Julian mentions that over 3,300 business owners have used this approach. Some had never used AI before. The goal is to make you model-agnostic, so you're never stuck when news like the DHS DeepSeek ban hits.

05Results and Comparisons from the Episode

The episode compares DeepSeek's cost and performance against other models. DeepSeek's API costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens at peak times. Off-peak is half that.

The off-peak window covers the whole US working day and most of Europe's afternoon. The model is free to download with an MIT license that allows commercial use.

DeepSeek's new model beats Claude Opus 5 on four benchmarks but loses on four others. DeepSeek also released DeepInfer, an engine that makes AI run fast and cheap, under the Apache 2.1.0 license. It also opened its own web search tool that filters out SEO spam and low-quality AI-written pages.

Julian notes that China is now controlling exports of its largest AI models, and DeepSeek is training its next model on China's own chips. This means US-friendly and other models will likely diverge further.

06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid

Don't assume your AI tools are safe. Most people never ask what model is inside their tools. That is a mistake. After this ban, buyers will start asking. Be ready to answer.

  • Don't ignore third-party risks. The ban covers tools built with DeepSeek, even if the tool's brand doesn't mention DeepSeek.
  • Don't panic. The ban applies only to federal civilian agencies, not to private businesses or consumers. You can still use DeepSeek. But big buyers copy government rules, so expect pressure soon.
  • Don't stick to one model. The winner changes every few weeks. One week DeepSeek is best, the next it's Minimax. Locking into one model hurts when changes happen.
  • Don't wait. The 60-day exception window for agencies started in July 2026, not October. Most agencies already missed it. For your business, act now before you lose access to a model you rely on.

07Who the Ban Matters For and Why

If you run a business that uses AI agents or sells to the government, this ban matters. Even if you never sell to the government, big companies copy government rules. Your clients may start asking what model is inside your tools.

You need a clear answer and the ability to change models quickly.

The ban signals a shift: model transparency is becoming a standard question. Just like people ask where their food comes from, they will ask where their AI comes from. Setting up a multi-model system now protects your business from disruption. Julian's message is simple: pick your model, not your vendor.

Use a dashboard that lets you swap models easily. That way, when the next ban or price change or better model appears, you can adapt without rebuilding your entire workflow.